Director: David Borenstein
Cast: Pavel Talankin, Vladimir Putin, Roman Abalin, Lavrentiy Beria, Viktor Abakumov
Mr. Nobody Against Putin is a 2025 documentary directed by David Borenstein, a co-production across Denmark, Czech Republic, Germany, and the United Kingdom, following an anonymous Russian schoolteacher who risks his life to document propaganda operations inside his own classroom as Russia wages full-scale war on Ukraine.
What is Mr Nobody Against Putin about?
When Russian forces move against Ukraine, the Kremlin's machinery reaches deep into the country's provincial schools, turning classrooms into venues for military recruitment and state ideology. One ordinary teacher, unwilling to become a tool of this system, makes a dangerous choice: he secretly records what takes place behind closed doors, capturing how children are drawn into the logic of war from an early age. The documentary weaves together his covert footage with archival and historical material, tracing how Russia's authoritarian grip extends from the highest corridors of power down to the smallest rural schoolhouse. The film never flinches from the personal cost of quiet resistance.
Cast & crew
Director David Borenstein assembles a cast of figures spanning generations of Russian power and dissent. Documentary subjects include Vladimir Putin and his long-time associate Dmitry Medvedev, alongside opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza. Historical figures such as Leon Trotsky, Lavrentiy Beria, and Viktor Abakumov appear through archival material, while Pavel Talankin and Roman Abalin anchor the contemporary narrative thread.
Context & significance
For Persian-speaking audiences in the diaspora, Mr. Nobody Against Putin resonates deeply. Iranians who have lived under authoritarian rule recognize immediately the mechanisms at work here: state media in classrooms, enforced loyalty, the quiet courage required to document the truth at personal risk. This documentary arrives at a moment when many diaspora viewers are simultaneously watching events unfold in Ukraine and reflecting on parallel realities in Iran. It is available on K-Time with Persian dubbing, making it fully accessible to viewers whose strongest language is Farsi. The film belongs to the tradition of political observational documentary — direct, unembellished, told from the inside.
Where & how to watch
Mr. Nobody Against Putin is available on K-Time with Persian dubbing and Persian subtitles. You can watch on the web, on your TV, or on your phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, and you can cancel anytime. No extra downloads required.